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Horticulture - Sowing methods
Winter sowing, growing seedlings indoors, direct seeding, which method works best for which plants (and for which humans)? Valentine’s day is when I start seriously planting, starting with alliums and parsley indoors as they take forever to grow. But what works best?
Winter sowing is the most hands-off way to grow perennials: throw seeds in a partially covered container outside in the Winter and more or less forget about it until Spring.
Pros: It’s easy and cheap! And you can grow a lot of plants in a small space outdoors.
Cons: Success is not guaranteed as perennial seeds can be finicky. You do need to remember to open the containers in the Spring or your seedlings will cook!
You can use Winter sowing for any plant, including annuals, if you time it well (see below).
Growing seedlings indoors is the classic way of planting seeds in trays or containers or soil blocks under grow lights or near a south-facing window.
Pros: You mostly control how many plants you will have, and you can monitor them at all times.
Cons: You need indoor space and a small investment in materials if using grow lights, and you need to stay on top of the watering. Plants can get transplant shock when you transfer them into your garden, which will delay their growth for a week or two.
Direct seeding is simply planting seeds directly in your garden. It is particularly beneficial for plants that don’t withstand transplanting well. Root crops are a top contender.
Pros: No prep work for the human, no transplant shock for the plant.
Cons: Spacing your seeds requires some guess work, and you may need to thin your seedlings later, which means you need more seeds than if you grew them indoors. Timing is crucial: your seeds will not start growing until the soil has reached an adequate temperature so plan accordingly. (Using a movable cold frame will buy you a few weeks.) Weeds will want to grow at the same time as your babies, so you will need to manage them.
Of course these methods can be combined: Winter sow perennial flowers; transplant indoor-grown tomatoes into a bed of direct-seeded greens. Play with the different ways, as well as with interplanting, succession planting, and companion planting. Happy growing!
More on Winter sowing:
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